Ms. Kennedy joined Nephron Pharmaceuticals in 2001, and assumed the position of President and CEO in 2007. She has held a variety of marketing and operational roles during her career and has helped Nephron Pharmaceuticals grow by more than 300% and increased shipped product to one billion doses each of the last seven years. Nephron constructed a state of the art manufacturing facility in West Columbia, South Carolina and, with her husband Bill, helped establish the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center in conjunction with the USC School of Pharmacy. The organization was honored as an inaugural winner of the South Carolina Life Sciences Pinnacle Award for Organizational Contribution to the industry in October, 2018.

Joining Ms. Kennedy on the SCBIO Executive Committee will be Stephanie Yarbrough, Partner with Womble Bond Dickinson, LLP as Vice Chair; MichaelRusnak, Executive Director of the MUSC Foundation for Research Development as Treasurer; and Josh Ridley, Global Business Development Director of ZEUS as Secretary.

Additional members of the Executive Committee are Jeff Stover, Special Counsel with Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA as Legal Officer; Heather Simmons Jones, CEO of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance as Annual Conference Officer; Bryan Davis, Operations Manager with Greenville Health System’s Office of Innovations as Healthcare/Innovation Officer; Adam Hoots, Life Sciences Market Leader for DPR Construction as Talent/Workforce Officer; and Sam Konduros, President and CEO of SCBIO.

Recognized for completing their terms as contributing members of the SCBIO Executive Committee were former Vice Chair Craig Walker, executive with Hitachi Healthcare Americas, and former Secretary Kathryn Becker, Principal with Translational Science Solutions LLC.

SCBIO President and CEO Konduros praised the Executive Committee noting, “With the critically important efforts we are undertaking to advance pharmaceuticals, life sciences R&D, biotech, med-tech, and the health IT industries in South Carolina, we require strong, expert leadership from across the state, fully integrating our business, education and economic development sectors. These diverse leaders who represent the width and breadth of our state and industry will effectively champion our vision of building the business of life sciences in South Carolina for years to come.”

SCBIO is South Carolina’s investor-driven public/private economic development organization exclusively focused on building, advancing, and growing the life sciences industry in the state. The industry already has an $11.4 billion annual economic impact in the Palmetto State, with more than 400 firms directly involved and 15,000 professionals employed in the research, development and commercialization of innovative healthcare, medical device, industrial, environmental and agricultural biotech and products. The state-wide nonprofit has offices in Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston, and represents companies in the advanced medicines, medical devices, equipment, diagnostics, IT, and healthcare outcome industries.

The Executive Committee and Board of Directors is the policy- and strategy-making body of the organization, and meets regularly to receive updates on SCBIO business and objectives, as well as domestic and global initiatives. The Executive Committee serves roles specific to SCBIO operations, focus areas and strategies.

SCBIO is the official state affiliate of BIO -- the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology organizations. SCBIO members include academic institutions, biotech companies, med-tech companies, entrepreneurial organizations, service providers, thought leaders, economic development organizations and related groups whose members are leading the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotech and med-tech products that will make a difference across the Palmetto State, and around the world.

SCEDA Bill passage portends more opportunity for life sciences growthsee more

On Wednesday, October 3, the South Carolina House of Representatives overrode the veto of the SCEDA bill, S.1043, with a vote of 112-4. Passage of this bill shows the true team effort that SCEDA represents.

“These important enhancements will add another arrow into our economic developers’ quiver when it comes to attracting professional jobs to South Carolina and supporting our local agriculture industry,” said Mark Warner, SCCED, SCEDA president and vice president of business development and marketing at Davis & Floyd. “We are grateful for the action of our South Carolina lawmakers and economic development professionals across our state who answered our call to action.”

SCEDA would like to thank current SCEDA Legislative Committee chair, Stephanie Yarbrough, past Legislative Committee chair, Tushar Chikhliker, our current lobbyists, Sunnie Harmon and John DeWorken, past lobbyist, Sara Hazzard, and all the members who worked to create this legislation, called their legislator and encouraged them to vote and override this bill.

“This is the culmination of years of collaboration by our state’s economic development sectors – both public and private – to respond to the ever-changing competitive landscape as we work to further diversify our state’s already robust economy,” said Tushar Chikhliker, SCEDA’s past Legislative Committee chair and an economic development lawyer at Nexsen Pruet.

Please feel free to reach out to your legislator and thank them for voting to override the veto of this bill. These changes will go into action immediately.

Highlights of the bill are outlined below.

Incentives for Professional Services / Office Jobs

For professional services/office jobs, the changes below will encourage South Carolina to excel in all areas of economic development.

100 jobs (down from 150) at a single location comprised of a building that has been vacant for at least 12 consecutive months; and

75 jobs (down from 100) at a single location that pay more than 1½ times the lower of the state per capita income or per capita income in that county.

• Allows businesses engaged in legal, accounting, banking, or investment services to apply for JDCs. (Per the discretion of the Coordinating Council).

• Allows businesses engaged in retail sales to apply for JDCs as long as retail sales are not actually conducted at the facility. (Per the discretion of the Coordinating Council).

• Suggests the Coordinating Council consider these factors in making a determination for qualification:

The percentage of the businesses’ annual gross receipts derived from outside of South Carolina for the previous 12 months and such percentage must not be less than 75%;

The nature and the wages of the new jobs created;

The capital investment of the project; and

The potential for expansion or growth of the business or industry.

Details of the economic incentive enhancements include:

Incentives for Agriculture Operations

• Provides a tax credit program for agribusinesses that is mirrored after the Port Tax Credit Program.

• Allows an agribusiness operation or agricultural packaging operation that increases purchases that are certified as South Carolina grown by a minimum of 15% in a year to claim an income tax credit or employee withholding credit in an amount determined by the Coordinating Council.

• Products must be approved by the SC Dept. of Agriculture as Certified SC Grown.

• Maximum amount phased in over a four-year period:

2017 – $500,000

2018 – $1,000,000

2019 – $1,500,000

2020 – $2,000,000

• The Coordinating Council has sole discretion in allocating the credits.

• The base year total dollar purchases that are certified as South Carolina grown must exceed $100,000 for a taxpayer to be eligible.

• The tax credit sunsets after 10 years. It will need to be reauthorized through legislation if the General Assembly would like to continue the program.

A taxpayer may not be awarded a tax credit under this program in excess of $100,000 in any tax year.

SCBIO has announced its 2018 Board of Directors and Executive Committee following formal confirmation at the life science organization’s December 2017 meeting in Columbia. Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation CEO Lou Kennedy will serve as SCBIO’s 2018 Board Chair.

Ms. Kennedy joined Nephron Pharmaceuticals in 2001, and assumed the position of President and CEO in 2007. She has held a variety of marketing and operational roles during her career and has helped Nephron Pharmaceuticals grow by 300% and increased shipped product to one billion doses each of the last seven years. Nephron recently built a state of the art manufacturing facility in West Columbia, South Carolina and, with her husband Bill, helped establish the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center in conjunction with the USC School of Pharmacy.

Joining Ms. Kennedy as officers on the SCBIO Executive Committee will be Craig Walker, CEO of VidiStar LLC as Vice Chair; Michael Rusnak, Executive Director of the Medical University of South Carolina Research Foundation as Treasurer; and Kathryn Cole Becker, Principal of Translational Science Solutions as Secretary. Additional members of the Executive Committee are Jeff Stover, Special Counsel with Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA as Legal Officer; Stephanie Yarbrough, Partner with Womble Bond Dickinson, LLP as Annual Conference Officer; Bryan Davis, Operations Manager with Greenville Health System’s Office of Innovations as Healthcare/Innovation Officer; and Sam Konduros, President and CEO of SCBIO. Immediate Past Chair, Erin Ford, who now serves as the organization’s inaugural Vice President, was honored for her extraordinary board service during the December Board meeting.

Also elected to the 22-member Board of Directors for SCBIO are Darralyn Alexander, President of Reimbursement Strategies LLC; Mandy Brawley, Deputy Director of the South Carolina Department of Commerce; Jerry Chang, Vice President of Business Development for BioD; Matthew Couvillion, Attorney with the Wyche Law Form; J.J. Darby, State Government Affairs Leader for Johnson & Johnson Services; Tressa Gardner, Associate Vice president of the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology at Florence-Darlington Technical College; and Mike Graney, Vice President for Global Business Development of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.

Completing the 2018 Board of Directors for SCBIO are Chad Hardaway, Associate Director of the Office of Economic Engagement at the University of South Carolina; Willard Harms, VP of Medical Affairs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina; Dr. Martine LaBerge, Chair of Clemson University’s Department of Bioengineering; Marc Metcalf, Business Recruitment Officer of the Upstate SC Alliance; Kathy Phlegar, President of Phlegar & Associates; Christine Dixon Thiesing, Director of Academic Programs for the South Carolina Research Authority; and Courtney Warren, Life Sciences Practice Chair for Marsh & McLennan Agency.

SCBIO President and CEO Konduros praised the Board and Executive Committee noting, “With the important work we are undertaking to actively advance life sciences R&D, biotech, med-tech, and digital health industries in South Carolina, we require strong, expert leadership from all across the state, fully integrating the business, education and economic development sectors. I am confident that these diverse leaders who reside in communities ranging from Murrells Inlet to Florence in addition to Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston, will effectively champion our vision of building the business of life sciences in South Carolina in 2018 and for years to come.”

SCBIO is South Carolina’s investor-driven public/private economic development organization exclusively focused on building, advancing, and growing the life sciences industry in the state. The industry already has an $11.4 billion annual economic impact in the Palmetto State, with more than 400 firms directly involved and 15,000 professionals employed in the research, development and commercialization of innovative healthcare, medical device, industrial, environmental and agricultural biotech and products. The state-wide nonprofit has offices in Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston, and represents companies in the advanced medicines, medical devices, equipment, diagnostics, IT, and healthcare outcome industries.

The Board of Directors is the policy- and strategy-making body of the organization, and meets regularly to receive updates on SCBIO business and objectives, as well as domestic and global initiatives. The Executive Committee serves roles specific to SCBIO operations, focus areas and strategies.

SCBIO is the official state affiliate of BIO -- the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology organizations. SCBIO members include academic institutions, biotech companies, med-tech companies, entrepreneurial organizations, service providers, thought leaders, economic development organizations and related groups whose members are leading the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotech and med-tech products that will make a difference across the Palmetto State, and around the world.